Latest update February 5th, 2025 6:40 AM
‘Tiger’ roars to unbeaten century as Windies level series
Sarwan leads supporting cast
By Sean Devers
From the Tivoli Gardens in Jamaica to the Shiv Chanderpaul drive in Georgetown, West Indies fans were celebrating yesterday as the regional team exorcised the memory of Friday’s blunder by Coach John Dyson with an exciting 21-run series leveling win against England in the second ODI at the Providence Stadium.
The West Indies players celebrate one of the wickets to fall as they applied the pressure on England. (Franklin Wilson photo)
Man-of-the-Match Shivnarine Chanderpaul again showed his class with his 10th ODI ton (112*) and shared in an entertaining 133-run third wicket partnership with the classy Ramnaresh Sarwan (74) as West Indies reached 264-8 off 50 overs on a sluggish track and lightening fast outfield.
On-target bowling and alert fielding then ensured England were dismissed for 243 in 48.2 overs despite a battling third ODI ton from Skipper Andrew Strauss (105) as the hosts, urged on by another sell-out crowd of over 16,000, leveled the five-match series 1-all heading into the third game in Barbados on Friday.
England had won the opening game on Friday in farcical fashion when Dyson accepted the ‘bad light’ after mistakenly thinking that his team was ahead on the Duckworth/Lewis system by looking at the wrong column on the print-out.
Yesterday it was decided to utilize the flood lights when the natural light faded under overcast skies and although rain threatened to prematurely halt the contest and the English tail briefly wagged, Kieron Pollard knocked out the off-stump of last man James Anderson (8) to gave West Indies victory with eight balls to spare and spark wild celebrations among the raucous, flag waving crowd.
The 34-year-old Chanderpaul batted magnificently and three breathtaking reverse sweeps for boundaries off the fast bowlers punctuated his versatility as he joined Brain Lara (10,348) and Desmond Haynes (8,648) as the only West Indians with 8,000 ODI runs and became the first West Indian to score an ODI century at Providence.
Chanderpaul played an array of scintillating shots after joining fellow Sarwan in the sixth over at 24-2 when Skipper Chris Gayle was bowled off the inside edge by Anderson for a cameo 20 with four fours, and together they treated the fans to an exhibition of high class batting after the home team had won the toss and elected to bat.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul collects the man-of-the-match prize from Digicel’s Donovan White yesterday. (Franklin Wilson photo)
While he might at times lack flair and elegance, Chanderpaul is consistently effective and must now be regarded among the likes of George Headley, Sir Viv Richards, Sir Gary Sobers and Lara as all-time West Indian batting greats.
Yesterday’s spectacle was just confirmation of Chanderpaul’s ability to dominate and despite suffering from cramps towards the end of the innings and using a runner, he remained unbeaten for the 36th time in his 243-match ODI career after hitting 10 glorious boundaries in his 134-ball century.
Lendl Simmons (0) edged Anderson to the keeper at 15-1 before Gayle’s demise left the West Indies in early trouble as both Anderson and Stuart Broad produced testing spells with the new ball.
Sarwan continued his prolific run, caressed the ball with the type of effortless timing that raised the pores on your skin and soon posted his third consecutive half-century in the limited overs series starting with his match winning fifty in the one-off 20/20 in Trinidad last Sunday.
After reaching his 32nd fifty at this level, the 28-year-old Sarwan was removed by Anderson at 157-3 in the 35th over as he failed to convert his attractive innings into his fourth ODI ton. Sarwan batted with the authority of a man in the best form of his life and his 89-ball showpiece was decorated with four fours and two sixes.
While Chanderpaul played the supporting role to his younger partner in their century stand, his penchant for not being dismissed helped the West Indies cause as he ‘opened up with a flurry of flicks, cuts and a brutal reverse off Broad which caused the pacer to send down three consecutive wides outside off-stump to hide from the vicious onslaught of a man more known for his sedate and solid batting.
If Chanderpaul’s demolition of Steven Harmison lashing him for a six and five fours in one over on Friday was an appetizer, his first ODI hundred in Guyana was as memorable as it was important in getting the West Indies past 250.
The batting power-play (taken from over number 35-40) produced 41 runs and at 206-3 the West Indies looked set to post their 24th 300-plus total before a succession of injudicious shots saw them quickly slip to 238-6.
Pollard (8) lofted medium pacer Dimitri Mascarenhas to long-on, Dwayne Bravo (19) hit Mascarenhas to Paul Collingwood and Denish Ramdin (1) played a brainless scoop sweep to short fine leg with Chanderpaul well set at the other end.
Daren Sammy (11) and Nikita Miller (0) were quickly removed by Collingwood and for all their improvement in attitude and performance, Coach Dyson and his support staff will know that there is still a lot of work to be done on the talented but mentally weak young brigade in the West Indies team.
Anderson took 3-37, Collingwood 3-49 and Mascarenhas 2-53 for England who quickly lost Ravi Bopara (14) at 18-1; bowled by Lionel Baker who replaced Daren Powell in the only change from Friday’s team.
Kevin Pieterson is easily his team’s best batsman but yesterday he never suggested permanence and seemed troubled by Fidel Edwards’ genuine pace before he was bowled off the inside edge for 12 at 36-2, playing with very little movement of his feet.
Owais Shaw (22) and Paul Collingwood (1) scored half-centuries on Friday but yesterday they were both removed by the versatile Bravo in one over as the visitors slipped to 88-4.
When Matt Prior (2) was brilliantly caught behind by Ramdin, standing up to Sammy at 97-5, the fans were dancing in the stands and the grass mound, which had much more than its capacity of 4000 spectators, was like a mini carnival.
If Sarwan’s innings was silky and Chanderpaul’s was a mixture of deft deflections and brutal drives, Strauss batted with grit and determination and his innings was more resolute than enterprising.
The left-handed skipper returned to the England one-day side with dogged stroke-play and his 105 lasted 129 balls and included seven fours before he was ninth out; bowled by Pollard at 229 with three overs to go.
Mascarenhas showed his one-day value with a 36-ball 29 but once he was run out by a superb piece of fielding by a diving Gayle at short mid-wicket and Broad (3) was caught and bowled by the impressive Miller, England seemed dead and buried at 167-7 as the slower West Indies bowlers made free-scoring problematic on the slow track.
Harmison (18*) and Anderson offered a glimmer of hope but there was to be no sensational England win as Pollard finished the job by removing Anderson after a couple of short interruptions for rain and with the lights on.
Bravo had 2-40 and Pollard 2-46 but all the bowlers bowled well in the conditions leaving the West Indies favorites for their two back-to-back games this weekend in Barbados.
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